'Cool Leaf' input devices are flat, shiny, stunning

Developed in collaboration with professor Kazuo Kawasaki, Minebea's new line of input devices are some of the slickest you'll ever see. Their Cool Leaf series, which includes a keyboard, a remote control, and a calculator, features flat acrylic mirrored surfaces with a capacitive touch panel. When turned on the devices display a backlit input interface, but when turned off the surface looks just like a regular mirror.

Cool Leaf devices' flat design mean that they can be cleaned by simply wiping the surface, rather than fumbling about between keys as you would while cleaning conventional keypads or keyboards.

Minebea says that they aim to bring Cool Leaf input to other digital devices in the future, including telecommunication, housing, and medical equipment. They hope to implement haptic technology as well, so that when you touch keys on their interfaces your fingers receives some sort of feedback.

One doesn't usually get very enthusiastic over keyboards, calculators, and remote controls, but this Cool Leaf series looks so futuristic it's hard not to feel just a little bit excited!